Bega, NSW - St John the Evangelist Anglican
Year Built: 1878
Denomination: Anglican
Saint: John
Address: 12 Church Street, Bega, New South Wales, 2550
Architect: Edmund Blacket
Traditional Owners: Yuin-Monaro people
Last Updated: 11/03/2023
Click on the image to view larger (3 photos)
History and Architecture:
The first ministrations of the Church on the South Coast, were rendered by the Rev. William George Nott, in 1842, who worked for some months in the "District of Maneroo, beyond the limits of location." When in 1843 the Rev. E. G. Pryce was appointed, his charge comprised the whole of the Monaro and South Coast, and beyond, too, for there are evidences of his work in Gippsland. His registers show frequent ministrations at Pambula and Eden and occasional visits to Boyd Town. His immediate successor,the Rev. Walter Riky, and the Rev. Edward Synge are the first to mention Bega by name.
A building which served both as day and Sunday school was built in 1854 on the present Church site. On 1/3/1856 Bishop Barker appointed the Rev. William Allworth to be minister in the "District of Eden (Twofold Bay), Bega and Pambula," and "reside within the said district."
The Church was built in 1878 of brick and stone in Gothic style by the an architect Edmund Blackett.
Clergy:
This list may not contain every serving cleric, past or present, for this church.
Further submissions welcomed.
| Years | Name | Annotation | D.o.B | D.o.D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1864 - 1871 | Rev John Lister Knight | 1832 | 1902 | |
| 1885 - 1894 | Rev George Spencer | 1840 | 1925 | |
| 1894 - 1904 | Rev Frederick Bevan | 1857 | 1932 | |
| 1899 - 1899 | Rev Frederick William McDonnell | Curate | 1865 | 1923 |
| 1904 - 1906 | Rev William Martin | 1859 | 1952 | |
| 1905 - | Rev Stanley Johnson West | Lay Reader | 184 | 1954 |
| 1906 - 1916 | Archdeacon Thomas Edwards Owens Mell | 1840 | 1934 | |
| 1911 - 1911 | Rev Frederick William Rettie | Curate | 1881 | 1951 |
| 1923 - 1928 | Rev George Augustus Sanders | Rural Dean | 1885 | 1966 |
| 1926 - | Rev Douglas Campbell Tilghman | Lay Reader | 1890 | 1970 |
| 1932 - 1935 | Rev James Mann Thomas | Rural Dean | 1875 | 1961 |
| 1932 - 1949 | Rev Rouse Upjohn | 1881 | 1945 | |
| 1949 - 1950 | Rev Clarence Barton Alexander | 1908 | 1980 | |
| 1950 - 1965 | Rev Thomas Edward Whiting | 1908 | 1986 | |
| 1959 - | Rev Charles Richard Austen | Curate | 1908 | 1978 |
| 1962 - | Rev George Haddon Reeks | Asst | 1907 | 1973 |
| 1974 - 1978 | Rev Cecil Alfred Osborne | 1914 | 1986 | |
| 2017 - | Rev Stuart Haynes | |||
| 2022 - | Rev Steve Clarke |
Organ:
The Organ was built by John Smith, of Bristol before 1855. It was restored and installed at Bega by Australian Pipe Organs in 1991. It has 1 manual, 5 speaking stops, mechanical action.
For a full description click here.
Source:
1. Cable Clerical Index with permission.
2. Extracts from the history of the Diocese of Goulburn by Ransome T. Wytt Publishers Edgar Bragg & Sons via Meribula Historical Museum.
3. Organ Historical Trust of Australia with permission.